The Daddy out of Classic

The Daddy, winner of the $750,000 Super Derby in just his fourth career start Oct. 1, will miss the Breeders' Cup Classic after fracturing one of the splint bones in his left foreleg, his owner, Greg Norman, said Thursday.

The Daddy had surgery to remove the splint bone on Wednesday.

"We're disappointed," said Norman. "We were really, really looking forward to the race."

Norman said The Daddy was found to be carrying heat in his left foreleg after a morning training session last week. The colt had surgery at the New Jersey Equine Clinic and returned to his Belmont base Thursday. He was a front-running winner of the Super Derby.

"I would have to pinpoint that sometime during the race he ended up fracturing, and he just gritted it out," said Norman.

The Daddy's recuperation will include six weeks of hand-walking and then turnout time, the duration of which is to be determined after a follow-up examination, said Norman. The major early-season goal for the horse next year is the Metropolitan Handicap in late May.